Marching Forth!

It is amazing how God expands our understanding of the implications of His Word and the Gospel as we grow.  In my youth I was convinced I understood what the Bible said and meant, but I am learning my perspective is often limited and narrow.  The "Great Commission" scripture in Matthew provides a fitting example. Matthew 28:19-20 were words of Jesus Christ I committed to memory at a young age:  " Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,   20   teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen ."  I didn't notice it at the time, but verse 19 refers back to a critical truth which undergirds what has been called the "Great Commission."   Matthew 28:18 reads, " And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth ....

Our God - my God - is indeed an awesome God!  I don't brag on Him nearly as much as He deserves.  He is powerful and personal, outrageously generous and gracious.  God hears prayers and answers in real time. Last night was a perfect example:  I had turned on the water for a shower and prayed God would send rain, as Sydney has been dry lately.  I kid you not:  when I stepped out of the shower less than five minutes later rain had come!  Hearing the water dripping from the eaves and passing through the gutters brought a beaming smile to my face.  It is so easy to forget God is not delayed because He seems far away at times, but He is so near to each one of us.  Those who call upon Him can expect Him to answer in His time and way. Our feeble frame is forgetful of God's presence.  We can go through the motions of prayer or reading and study of scripture and miss God.  I recently came across an example of this.   1 Samuel ...

" Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13  but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin ." Hebrews 3:12-13 Lately I've been thinking about the believer's need for exhortation.  We are called to humbly receive exhortation and also exhort others as led by the Holy Spirit.  Based on the Hebrew passage which exhorts us to exhort one another daily, the Christian's need for frequent exhortation is fundamental as the unbeliever's need for the Gospel.  Without receiving the Gospel no man can be saved, and without exhortation our hearts tend towards hardness.  To exhort is to call near, invite, and entreat, whether it be to call out sin or to urge to do right.  There is a difference between knowing what is right and doing what is right.  Humility before God and men puts us in a posture to receive exhortation ...

Wicked Haman sought to do the Jews harm and deceitfully wrote a law which commanded their destruction.  Messengers were sent out to 127 provinces that the Jews - all men, women, and children - were to be killed and their goods plundered on the 13th day of the 12th month.  The people were perplexed to hear this command, and the Jews grieved and mourned.  God used righteous Mordecai and queen Esther to make known the plot of Haman to king Ahasuerus, and Haman was hanged for his crimes.  But the law remained, for the laws of the Medes and Persians cannot be undone. Though the old law could not be changed, the king granted Mordecai authority to write a new law.  The description of the new law is conveyed in  Esther 8:11 :  "... by these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives--to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little ch...

I spent the first half of this week at the Collaroy Centre which hosted the "Refresh" conference put on by the Calvary Global Network.  It was a lovely spot with the benefits of sound biblical teaching, fellowship, and worship of God.  The lush area was home to many varieties of beautiful and loud birds like sulphur-crested cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets.  In the outdoor seating area signs were placed on the tables which read, "Do Not Feed the Birds." There are several reasons provided in Australia for people to restrain themselves from feeding wild birds.  One reason is the offer of free food (which may not be the most healthy for them) can reduce their ability to forage for food in the wild.  If they are conditioned to regular feeding their diet will also not be as varied as it should be.  Whilst those are valid reasons, another reason is most likely why the Collaroy Centre prohibits people from feeding birds.  According to the ABC , " Animals th...

"Happiness depends on what happens," I have heard some say, and often this is true.  Feelings are useful but are also fickle.  One moment we can be happy and carefree, and the next we can feel the weight of the world upon us.  An example of this phenomenon is seen in Haman after he was invited by the queen to a special banquet with the king.  He had not only enjoyed the hospitality and company of the king and queen, but he had a banquet the following day to look forward to.  It seemed everything was right in the world. Esther 5:9 reads, " So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai ."  Haman was in a great mood because the privilege afforded him, but the sight of Mordecai sitting there filled him with anger.  All the happy feelings were gone in an instant because one man was sitting when Ha...

I've been enjoying reading through Esther lately, and it is amazing how God brings fresh insights to familiar passages.  Haman was incensed by the Jew Mordecai's refusal to give him reverence, and so great was his pride punishing Mordecai was not enough:  he would exterminate Mordecai and his people as well.  Having the favour of the king, Haman was able to write the doom of the Jews into law.  When Mordecai heard these evil tidings, he put on sackcloth and mourned publicly.  Esther the queen, seeing her cousin in such strife, inquired concerning his welfare and heard the news for herself. Mordecai urged Esther to use her privileged position as queen to gain access to the king to plead for her people.  At first she resisted, citing a law which endangered the lives of all who approached the king without a summons.   Esther 4:13-14 reads, " And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's ...